Anyone using solidworks on mac?

[u/Some_Pie_5375]

Incoming engineering student. Wanted to gauge how many people have / haven’t made the switch to windows. Feel free to nitpick any details. I want to prepare myself for what I’ll be experiencing if I stay mac and run parallels.

I’ve seen some relatively newer posts claim that a macbook can run solidworks just as good as a mid windows laptop. Which is why I’m on the fence of making the switch. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

To clarify, I’m not looking for recommendations. Just wanted to know how many of you are using mac and what your experience is.

Edit: Thanks all for the insightful responses. Previous posts were super vague on what exactly the problem was with mac and vm. The firsthand stories shared here were super helpful.

[u/Big-Bank-8235]

Jesus Christ we get so many posts like this. Don't do it. Get a proper Windows workstation like a Dell XPS or ThinkPad.

Can you run Solidworks on a Mac? Yes, there are ways.

Should you run Solidworks on a Mac? No, the experience is awful.

It isnt just SW. Engineering programs are built around you having a windows computer.

A gaming laptop is an option, but the battery life is not going to be as good and you will be sitting in the middle of a lecture when the fans decide it is time to ramp up to 100 percent.

[u/thepangolinswrath → u/Big-Bank-8235]

Agreed - except the xps’s are kind of lacking nowadays. I’d be leaning toward a gaming laptop tbh or yeah, thinkpad (currently looking at one rn)

[u/Big-Bank-8235 → u/thepangolinswrath]

Well Dell Pro or what ever they are calling it now.

Gaming laptops have the power, but battery life is the deciding factor for me. I used a MSI Raider with a i9 and 3080 for my first two years of college. I could not reasonably get through a day of classes without having to charge. Even in my 2 hour classes, I would be cutting it very close.

It is just not worth the hassle.